Canzo (in Italian) or Canz (in local language) is a town and commune in the province of Como, in Lombardy. It has 5,035 citizens and an area of 11.8 km², with a density of 445 humans/km². It's in the middle of the Triangolo lariano.

It was the capital of the Corte di Casale (a medieval union of communes) and it is the capital of the Comunità montana del Triangolo lariano (a modern union of the communes between the two ramification of the Como Lake). It's in the historical region of Brianza (Canzo is the first town of Northern Brianza).

[edit] Places

The most important places are:

• villas:
  • Villa Magni-Rizzoli (now a restaurant, with ceremonial and congressual halls, and big parks)
  • Villa Meda (now inhabited courtyards, seat of many association and agencies, scene of some fairs and festivities)
  • Villa Barni (now a park)
  • and many other private villas
• buildings:
  • Palazzo Tentorio (now seat of the town hall)
  • Teatro Sociale (now theatre with season of lyric and prosa)
• religious places:
  • Chiesa prepositurale di Santo Stefano (the parochial church, dedicated to st. Steven)
  • Chiesa di San Francesco (a monastic oasis, dedicated to st. Francis)
  • Santuario di San Miro (the sanctuary of blessed Miro, called "San Mir", born in Canzo)
  • and many other little chapels
• natural places:
• rural and traditional buildings:
  • Villa/Filanda Verza "Filandùn" (the greatest silk spinning plant in the zone - in the province of Como there is the best working of the silk in the world - it came here by Marco Polo from China)
  • Primm Alp - Alp Grass ("Alp" means an alpine residence wehre was practised forest agriculture)
  • Segùnt Alp - Alp dal Suu (it was the biggest Alp)
  • Tèrz Alp (it is the biggest Alp)
  • Alpètt
  • Alp a vòlt
• historical centre and ancient localities:
  • Cuntrada da Casàrch
  • Cuntrada da Sumbìch
  • Cuntrada da Lünàa
  • Turèta
  • Pretòri
  • Stré(n)cia
  • Murnerìn
  • Mèzz Canz
  • Bergamasca
  • Piaza (da la gésa)
  • Piaza dal munümént
  • Via Granda
  • Via di Giüdée
  • Tèra russa
  • Lagüsc
  • Parisùn
  • Gerascia
  • Castèll
  • ...

The Comune of Canzo and the “Cumpagnia di Nost” have written up three maps of the localities of Canzo with theirs toponyms in local language (of the center, the campaign, mountains).

[edit] Festivities

The most important local festifities of the town are:

• Giubiana (traditional witch bonfire - it has an important symbolic meaning - no tie with Inquisition!)
• Biofera (festivity of the biological feeding, agriculture, handicraft and the popular culture - 5,000 visitors every day of the festivity)
• Fera di üsei (international fair of the bird hunting)
• Macc (traditional festivity of the spring and the youth)
• Festa del sole (celtic lughnasadh + traditional men's day + celebration of the mountain-agriculture)
• Cargà i alp (route in mountains of the town in order to recall the ancient annual carrying the beasts to the mountain stables)
• Festa di Santo Stefano + Féra da San Stevenìn (patron day with procession and fire of the whiteball + fair of the cattle)

[edit] Language

The Canzese is the local languages. It's a variety of Brianza's language, of the Western Lombard family, gallo-italic languages.

eo:Canzo fr:Canzo it:Canzo lmo:Canz nl:Canzo nap:Canzo pl:Canzo pt:Canzo